Emma Fox will be leading monthly Gangs of Manchester walks from May 2010. Emma is an experienced Manchester tour guide and local history enthusiast. Her first six “scuttlers’ walks” all sold out. The dates of the forthcoming walks are:

Sunday, 29 August at 1pm
Sunday, 26 September at 1pm
Sunday, 31 October at 1pm
Thursday, 25 November at 10.30 am
Thursday, 27 January 2011, at 10.30 am
Sunday, 27 February 2011, at 1 pm
Tuesday, 29 March 2011, at 10.30 am
Saturday, 30 April 2011, at 1 pm.

The walk starts at outside Edwards Shoes, inside Barton Arcade, between St Ann’s Square and Deansgate, and lasts around two hours. It ends in the Marble Arch pub, where signed books will be available for purchase.

For further information call Emma Fox on 07500 774 200 or email showmemanchester@yahoo.co.uk.

The Gangs of Manchester is to be featured on BBC1 on Wednesday 18 February in the North-West edition of Inside Out.

Presenter Nigel Pivaro talks to author Andy Davies about the research that formed the basis of the book. Duncan Broady of Greater Manchester Police Museum describes the difficulties faced by police officers in attempting to quell scuttling affrays, and Leslie Holmes of Salford Lads’ and Girls’ Club discusses the role of the early lads’ clubs in combatting street violence.

The programme will include excerpts from films by Paul Cliff depicting scuttles in Angel Meadow. Appearing in the films are members of the MaD Theatre Company and junior supporters of FC United of Manchester. The final versions of these films will be shown in Angels with Manky Faces. The actors also appear in two historical reconstructions filmed by the BBC.

One more book signing has been arranged: at Borders, Manchester Fort (Cheetham Hill) on Sunday 21 December from 11.00 till 1.00.

More events are in the pipeline for 2009. These include a reading from the book in Strangeways (HM Prison, Manchester) and an illustrated talk at the Manchester Histories festival, to be held at Manchester Town Hall.

Work on the play, Angels with Manky Faces, is well underway: the first costumes will soon be ready, songs are being recorded, and locations have been scouted for the scenes to be filmed. One of the gang scenes is to be filmed on “the flags” in Angel Meadow, the site of some of the incidents described in the early chapters of The Gangs of Manchester.

There has been plenty of discussion of the Gangs of Manchester on the various Manchester football message boards, not least on Blue Moon (thanks, Ric) and Red Issue. An extract has already appeared in United We Stand, and hopefully the King of the Kippax will be following suit.
On Saturday, I was invited to speak at a pre-match social at FC United of Manchester, ahead of the game against Hednesford Town. It was quite a do: the turns included a singer-songwriter, a poet, and the Halle choir.
These fantastic Scuttler cakes were sold in aid of club funds, and a new flag was on display courtesy of FCUM followers Voxra and Mike Duff. It reads:
ANGEL MEADOW
SCUTTLERS
FC UNITED